Crepes and Kitchens

Erika purchased a portable cooktop from Trial for a reasonable price of 1500 yen. She felt sorry that I had to cook at the stove while she enjoyed her crepes sitting at the kotatsu. In Seattle, we had the same setup. I could cook and eat at the same time. Along with the crepes, we had bananas, pudding, whipped cream and jam…yumm.

After our kitchen is remodeled, we’ll be able to start baking all kinds of goodies. The kitchen will be as large as our kitchen in Seattle. All of the fixtures, cabinet doors, flooring, tiles, even the garbage disposer were purchased in the U.S. before we moved to Japan.

I think I miss the Cuisinart mixer and our convection oven the most. The Cuisinart is sitting patiently in the box waiting to be used. The oven still needs to be purchased. When I remodeled the house in Seattle, I completed the entire house before I did the kitchen. This meant that we didn’t have time to enjoy our beautiful kitchen. The remodel in Tsukahara will be different. The kitchen will be started as soon as the garage and deck are completed.   George

Patience

I have to do many things, but I’m not sure where I should start (or finish). The house is slowly taking shape. I’ve been removing water stains and clear coating the exposed logs in the kitchen and living room. It’s a painstakingly slow process to remove water stains. Over the years, the spruce has developed a “warm tan” patina. It’s a beautiful color and it’s almost impossible to reproduce. So, this brings up a valid question…“How do you remove the water stains without removing the patina?” Good question. The answer is…very carefully! The tools that are required are as follows: Water and a razor blade. I forgot the most important thing, patience. Each water stain must be moistened (ironic, isn’t it) and gently scrapped with a sharp razor. If it is done with T.L.C., the wood that is removed is minute and the log ends up looking like it’s brand new. This technique works well with stains that are less than a 1/16”. Deeper stains require more drastic measures. I’ve had to splice in wood with some of the more severe stains. Usually the area is rotted and it only makes sense to remove the damage. I have some old trim that matches the patina of the logs perfectly. No sanding is allowed as this will only remove the patina. Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but if all else fails, EnergySeal hides all sorts of things.

Recently, I was removing stains around the upper portion of the “great room”. The ceiling height in this room is over 25 feet. Erika was nervous about me being on the extension ladder. She kept asking me, “Is this really necessary. Do you have to do this? I hate this!” “It’s not necessary, but it will look good,” I replied. “I want to do this. I don’t want our future customers to think we have a leaky house.” I don’t think she was happy with my response. Eventually, she settled down and took a few pictures.      George

Time to think

この２ヶ月で２度も倒れてしまった。２度目は救急車のお世話にまでなった。このまま死んでいくのならそれでもいいと思った。誰かに迷惑を掛けながら病院生活だけは嫌だと、救急車を呼ぶべきかどうか迷っている間に。。。まあ色んなことを考えてしまった。。。が、目の前で号泣する彼の顔を見てると、死ぬ前にやるべきことがたくさんあるなあという責任を感じてしまった。

血の気を失って冷たくなっていく自分の手を見ながら、首と肩の痛みで全く動けない自分を、かなり客観的に観察できるものだと不思議にも思った。救急隊員が来た時、血圧が３０・５０だった。痛みで体が動かず、体力もなくなっていたので、声がなかなか出なかった。状況説明を通訳までしながら救急車で運ばれた。彼の心配そうな声だけはわかったが、取りあえず一人で行く方が良いと判断した。

朝起きたばかりだったので、Tシャツ一枚とトレパンのみ。靴下も履いていなかったから、痛い上に震えるくらい寒かった。タオルケットを戴いたが、朝のミーティング中に何度も看護婦さんを呼びつけるのは申し訳なくて、薄手のタオルケット３枚（２回も呼びつけてしまった。）で震えながら硬いベッドの上で、午前中ずっと過ごした。脳に異常なしということで、脳だけはしっかり余計なことを考えさせてくれた。こういう時こそゆっくり休めばいいものを、かなりつまらないことまで、いつもの倍以上も頭が回転してしまった。電話で仕事の調整をして、ジョージに電話を掛けた時は、既に携帯に充電が必要になっていた。残された充電分で病院の道を説明するほど、私も病院の場所に詳しくなかった。

寒いので靴下を買いたいが、お金がない。お腹が空いたので何か食べたい。売店はあるが、お金がない。ジョージに電話をしたいが、充電器がない。さて支払いは？いろいろ回されて検査したけど、それほどお財布には入ってないし、彼はATM機など使ったことがない。一人暮らしの不便さが身にしみて感じた。と、また彼の将来が不安になった。

病院で一日考えた結果、「なるべく早いうちに先に死んでくれるかな」と、なんとなく彼に聞いてみた。すると、「嫌だ、やっとで日本に来れたのに、まだまだしたいことがいっぱいある」と言われた。アメリカの医療費は高いと言われるが、ダブルで保険に入っていた私たちは、医療費をほとんど支払ったことがなかった。私が足の手術をした際も、一円もポケットからは出ていない。お給料、有給、病休、福利厚生の全てが数分の一に減った今の苦しい生活も、彼にとっては最高の幸せらしい。日本に帰国して、いったい何が得られたのか、正直、？？？？？？？？？？大きな疑問。学校の子供たちや、ほとんどの上司、同僚とは仲良くやれているらしいし、とても気に入っているようだ。願わくば、こういう環境の中から、彼に良い友達が数人でもできることを願っているが、こればかりは私の努力ではどうにもならない。

専門医曰く、ノーストレス、ノーアルコール、ノーカフェイン。。。って、「いったい何を飲むんですか」と真剣に聞いてしまった。色も味もない水が私は好きではない。ストレスだってコントロールできるくらいなら、もう少し若さを保てているだろう。きっとストレスと皺の数は比例しているにちがいない。それでも彼のためにしっかり自分に責任を持っていきなければと、また皺を増やしてしまいそうだ。

Dog Door (Number 3)

 

We have a balcony that has not been used since we moved here. Every morning, the dogs wait patiently for me to open the door to access the balcony. They like to bark and howl at the volcano and deer…I guess it’s a thing that dogs like to do. We decided to install a dog door (dog door number 3) to give them the freedom to bark and howl from the balcony whenever they desired to do so. We also have doors that lead from the entryway to the dining room and from the dining room to the fenced backyard.

Before I cut the wall, I used a wire/ stud detector to check for electrical wires. I found two sets of wires located where the door was going to go. I spliced in some additional wire so that I could build a dog door frame to protect the wires from exposure. I was surprised to find that the exterior walls are framed with 2X6’s. I was also happy to find that the studs are 16 inches on center. Our home was built the North American way!  

Next, I cut the interior wall to size. When I was sure that everything would fit, I used a diamond blade to cut the exterior wall. It was -5C outside and I didn’t want to leave a hole in the wall for too long. I caulked the framing and door and installed the outer dog door trim.

I was having so much fun that I decided to decorate the outer door area so that it mimicked the exterior of the house. I made an “A” frame that was complete with hand cut cedar shingles. I’ll trim and paint the whole thing to match the house when the temperature warms up.

This was the first time that I cut the exterior wall of the house. I was hesitant at first because the walls are made of cement backer board. The diamond blade cut through the wall like it was made of butter. That’s promising news for another huge project I have in mind. When I finally get around to remodeling the house, I will need to remove a few walls. I want our future guests to enjoy the views from anywhere in the house. The new deck and garage are the next major projects before the remodel. Hopefully, I can get started on those fun projects before the rainy season…summer.   George

ASW 22 Conversion to Electric

I finally
got around to electrifying one of my sailplanes. The hardest part was cutting the nose off of a perfectly good fuselage.

I wasn’t sure if I had enough room for the motor, but it worked and I’m happy. Electrics are new to me so I had a lot to learn. I completed the conversion and I’m ironing out all of the wrinkles in the covering.
The fuselage will be painted when the weather warms up. I’ll be doing a test flight in the near future so I’ll keep you posted. The plane hasn’t been flown in over twenty years. It should be an interesting experience.     George

あけまして おめでとうございます。

みなさん、よいお正月が迎えられましたか。

私は小さい頃から、お年玉以外は、それほどお正月を喜ばしく祝ったことがなかった気がする。でもそれを正直には言えず、年間行事の一つとして受け入れてきた、結婚するまでは。。。親戚中が集まって杵でついたお餅も、親戚中のために母が一生懸命に打ったお蕎麦も、正直好きではなかった。母が作ってくれたお雑煮の具だけが好きで、それだけをすくって食べていた記憶がある。マメに働くように。。。などと言われながら半強制的に食べてきた数々のおせち料理も、正直、どれもこれも我慢して食べてきた。面倒だとは思いながらも、紅白を見てから、すれ違う村の人々に頭を下げながら近くの神社にお参りに行き、でもお願い事はちゃっかりと真剣にしてきた。

ここ２０年近くは、１２月３１まで働き、１月２日から出勤し、特別にお正月というものをお祝いしたことがなかった。日本に帰って、久しぶりに見た紅白は、知った名前がほとんどなく、横文字が増えたなあということ、グループばかり多くてステージがいっぱいだということ、男性たちが私より細くてきれいで。。。ということで、１０分も見ずにテレビを消してしまった。犬たちがいるから家を空けるわけにはいかず、犬たちの行けない所、つまり日本はどこも行くところがない。それを理由に、お正月はのんびり。。。犬たちを一日中散歩に連れて行ったり、薪を取りに行ったり、生徒たちの問題作りをしたり、有意義な時間を過ごすことができた。こうして自分に正直に、自分の好きなように時間を過ごせることを至福の幸せだと感じると同時に、マイナス１０度の寒さの中、短い縄に繋がれて震えながらクゥクゥと声を上げる犬たちも多くいるのを見ると心が痛む。弱いものには優しく、命を大切になんていう教育はいったいどこにいったのだろうか。また今年も暖かくなると、虫たちを酸素の少ない密閉したビンに入れて自慢する子供たちを見かけることになるのだろうか。願わくば、今年は小さな幸せをたくさん見つけたい。小さな感動をいっぱい集めたい。

２０１３年、不景気が続き厳しい年になるかもしれないが、それでもできるだけ多くの人たちが小さな幸せをいっぱい感じることができることを願いたい。今年もまた多くの良い出会いがありますように！そして出会った多くの人たちともっともっと多くの時間を共有できますように！お互いにとって良い年でありますように！今年も宜しくお願い致します。

 

Ｅｒｉｋａ

よいお年を！

日本に帰国して、この一年間は全速力で頑張ってきたような気がする。YESを始めて、子供や大人の英会話から受験英語まで、リサーチから資料作りまで全部一人で、楽しくもあったけど本当に大変だった。こんな経験は１５年ぶり。でも、一つ違ったのは、驚くほど多くの人たちから助けられてきたということ。自力で挑戦していく楽しさもアメリカで経験してきたけど、人の温かさに触れて感謝しながら残りの人生を生きていくのもまたいいものかもしれない。最近では、この何もない塚原の自宅でボッーと過ごす休日に、ふと喜びさえ感じたりする。

 

相変わらずギフト交換をしない私たち。クリスマスツリーは短期間ながら塚原の家にも飾った。すると、ラッキーが。。。彼は４年前の１２月にうちにやって来て、その時も私たちにとっては最高のクリスマスプレゼントになったが、今回もツリーの下で寝転んで、最高の贈り物に化してくれた。犬だってsense of humorを忘れないのだ。私もどんなに忙しくてもpositive attitude で来年も頑張っていこう。

 

 

最後に。。。生徒のずｔお母さんたちが飲み会に誘ってくれた。わざわざ隣の町まで。。。連れて行ってくれたところは、６０年代のステージを見せてくれるバー。私も若いお母さんたちと一緒に踊った。２０数年ぶり。私よりずっと年配だろうと思われる方たちもいたけど、私の方が体力的にダウンしていたような気がする。久しぶりで楽しかった。来年はこういう息抜きも少しはしていくべきかな？

 

それでは皆様、よいお正月をお迎え下さい。来年も宜しくお願い致します。

Erika

Heater For Dogs and Happy New Year

We are on winter holiday for the next few days. It has been snowing and the temperature is hovering around -4C. The time off has allowed me to catch up on a few things.

One of my projects was to turn a coffee table into a kotatsu.







 


A kotatsu is a heated table. I took the top off the coffee table and set it aside.

I added cross-bracing and mounted the heater. The bracing also added support to the table since the table top was no longer attached. The bracing will be stained when the weather warms up.




















A 2 meter by 2 meter futon was placed over the framing and under the table top.








Kiley was the first one to test out the kotatsu. I think it’s her new favorite spot.   

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I think it will be another great year for us. It’s an exciting time and each day is full of surprises and laughter. I can only wish you the same. Thank you for reading our blog.    George

Huge Success!

Many, many thanks to everyone for helping us make the 1^st annual Y.E.S. Christmas party a huge success. The students and parents were greeted by our surprise guest (Santa Claus). In the U.S., it’s not a big deal to see Santa at a party. Actually, it’s not a big deal to see Santa in Japan. The surprise for everyone was that Santa looked like, well…Santa. In Japan, these terrible looking disguises that look like a red Robin Hood are offered as a Santa costume. So when the kids and parents saw a “real” Santa, they freaked out. It was a great photo opportunity for everyone. Santa didn’t say much since his Japanese was rusty, but the kids had a good time trying to figure out who he was. “Of course, it was Santa!” we repeated throughout the evening to every child that asked.

The parents provided a wide assortment of edible delights. The students provided entertainment by giving speeches and singing songs in English. They performed magnificently! The kids enjoyed the freshly popped kettle corn.

 

 

 

I enjoyed looking at the faces of the kids as they tried to break open the piñata. I'm sorry that you can't see their faces because of privacy issues. (Erika did a good job at adding "hearts" to the pictures.) The youngest kids were the first to give it a try. By the time we reached the oldest kids, the piñata was getting heavy. I think it weighed over 10 pounds. The scene was perfectly choreographed as the last student gave the piñata a mighty blow. The contents showered onto the floor and the kids scrambled to gather the goodies. The super balls worked as planned (earlier post). They bounced all over the place!

 

It was time for the parents to have some fun. The Christmas Quiz Game Show was a hit. Candies worth various points were given out as each question was answered correctly. The one with the most points at the end of the game was given the privilege of choosing the first present under the Christmas tree. The highlight for me…playing the guitar and singing Silent Night in Japanese. To add drama, I turned the lights down and the room glowed with Christmas lights. The audience sounded like a choir and it was an emotional experience. I redeemed myself for an earlier childhood trauma (earlier post) and I was able to sing without a mistake. Woo hoo! It feels good to get that monkey off my back.

 

Everyone went home with a candy train, a present, a foam picture frame ornament, an assortment of candy, photos, a full stomach, and many good  memories. What’s next? Santa will make an appearance on the 25^th in Yufuin. It should be a lot of fun.   George

Three Days To Go

We will have a Christmas Quiz show as part of the party activities. The questions have multiple choice answers (A, B, C, D). Each family will have a set of answer paddles. There are 10 easy and 10 challenging questions about Christmas traditions and Santa Claus. Individuals will receive a reward for answering a question correctly and a grand prize will be awarded to the person that correctly answers the most questions.

Our students will give speeches and sing Christmas carols in English to the parents. The parents will have a chance to sing Silent Night in Japanese while I play the guitar. I’ll do my best to sing in Japanese, also. I’m kind of nervous about singing Silent Night in Japanese. When I was very small, I had to sing this song in front of a school audience. I forgot the words and I have been suffering from stage fright ever since. Well, maybe not ever since, but I suffered for a long time. This is my chance to redeem myself.

In an earlier post I mentioned that we stuffed candy and super balls inside of a piñata for the Christmas party. The reason for the super balls: They are harder to collect when they bounce on the floor. The super balls can be exchanged for special candy and gifts. The party is less than 3 days away. I’m starting to get anxious, especially about our surprise. Surprise?..stay tuned.     George

Turkey in Tsukahara

Joe Reinhart invited us, along with several other guests, to a very nice late Thanksgiving, early Christmas dinner. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, gravy and stuffing.

 Lucky and Kiley quickly became friends with Joe.

Our host even made home-made beer.

The conversation was refreshing and strange to my ears. I had become used to hearing only Japanese and broken English. This was the most fluent English I had heard in over a year. The turkey was purchased from Yoyo Market Online, a subsidiary of Costco. Thank you Joe!   George

Rain Gutters

It’s time to catch up on our posts before we’re too busy to write. This week we’ll have our Christmas party so we’ll have a gazillion things to do beforehand.

Turning the clocks back to about a week ago, I installed gutters on the back side of the house. I’m not sure why the house didn’t come with gutters. My guess is that it has something to do with the severe pitch of the roof and most log cabins are not used on a day-to-day basis. Anyway, the brackets which hold the gutter consist of a large nail that is welded to a curved piece of aluminum. Installation is straightforward.

 

 

 

 

 

First mark the slope of the gutter, 5/8” for every 10’, and pound in the brackets every 24”. The plastic gutter slips into the brackets and the downspouts are glued in. I still need to install the second story gutter, but I may have to wait for awhile. The snow has arrived and climbing a ladder is not a good idea. To be continued…       George

 

 

 

Foam Christmas Picture Frames

The candy trains are completed. I finished making some foam Christmas picture frames for the tree. They weigh very little and are easy to hang on the tree.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These foam frames will feature some of our student’s pictures and they will be given away at the party. I’m not crazy about the colors, but my resources were limited. Oh well, I hope they like them.

The next project for the Christmas party will be stuffing a piñata with candy and superballs. Superballs? I’ll explain why in the next blog…stay tuned.  George

Making Bread

One of our neighbors in Tsukahara was kind enough to give us a lesson on making bread. Since we don’t have an oven and she does, we visited her kitchen. Learning to make bread was fun and I hope she will give us more lessons on baking.

 

 

As you can see, the bread turned out perfect. Some of the rolls were sliced in half and used as hamburger buns. Dried cranberries were baked into the loaf of bread...YUMMY.

 

 

 

 

After the lesson, I shared some sourdough yeast with her that I brought from the U.S. My hygienist, Debbie, gave me some yeast as a going away present. Debbie if you are reading this, I hope your B&B is alive and well in Homer.    George